Family Fights to Keep Pet Deer (Video)

A Michigan family is fighting city hall in order to keep "Lilly," their pet deer. Family members say she's just like a dog, hanging out in the living room with their other pets. But after a neighbor complained, city officials say Lilly has to go.

Five years ago, Lilly's mother was hit by a car in Genesee County, Michigan. The police were called and bystanders watched as the deer gave birth to Lilly as she died.

Lilly's owner says she was in rough shape, but she was alive. When asked if they could take the fawn home, the police officer told them to go ahead, adding that she wouldn't last "fifteen minutes." Five years later, Lilly is like a member of the family.

But the Michigan Department of Natural Resources sees it differently. They've told the family that it's illegal to keep a wild animal as a pet and that they can become violent. The owners are now worried that Lilly will have to be euthanized because she doesn't know how to survive in the wild. Hopefully a wildlife preserve will hear of Lilly and let her join them!